Man of Primus
by Ardianna
Summary: Tony Stark is a genius, a playboy, and a superhero. So when disaster stuck it should have ended the Iron Man. But, instead something or someone decided to give him a second chance at life, transforming Tony into something he'd have never imagined...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Transformation

He traced the glow of the new arc reactor in his chest as the plane sped him home. The explosion that rocked the plane was instantaneous.

_He'll be perfect._

_No! We should not interfere._

_He's already half way there and our numbers wain dangerously._

_There is no energon on his planet if we change him he will starve._

_The energy source in his chest we can use it a substitute for energon._

_He will be unstable._

_He will adapt and when the time comes he will come to us._

_This is not wise._

_We are out of time, we will give him pretender technology and mass shifter just for convenience sake._

_Fine._

Tony opened his eyes and groaned his whole body hurt. "What the Hell" he said sitting up and pressing a hand to his forehead. Something was off, he inhaled and blinked; he could smell everything. The smell of the earth he sat on he could smell the different types of tree pollen. When did the tree's get so small he wondered. He looked down at his hand.

"What the Hell." he jumped up and stammered back. His hand was red and silver and metallic his fingers mostly retained there human shape but he could see the wires flexing as he tested them individually. He saw a near by lake crystal clear and smooth. He awkwardly walked over huge steps eating the distance in no time. He fell to his knees at the lake side and gazed down.

"What the Hell." he touched his metal cheek.

His face was still his own but made up smooth metal that molded to his features not many individual plates but smooth living metal. His eyes glowed bright blue and retained a human function he could see there workings dilating, contracting, focusing. He maintained his beard it was simply made out of metal like his eyebrows the resemblance to his human face was near perfect. His helm was red with a thin gold frame that framed his whole have not unlike his Iron man helm. His eyes flowed from his face to his back. Wings high and regal stood strong and proud from his back they were gold with red outlines with a large red symbol that he didn't recognize shining proudly. He stood up and looked him self over whatever had changed him they had obviously looked to his Mark VI Iron Man suit for inspiration. His new new body was very similar but it flowed in a way that a suit of armour never could. There were small glowing lights of blue light on his chest and hims and a few down his abdomen. Glowing blue veins radiated out form his chest and flowed over his armour giving a very focused and refined look. He put a hand to his chest and willed the plates of armour apart. Slow the plates move away from his prying hand part of his hoped that this was just another strange suit of armour, he felt his hopes dashed as the plates finally unlock and fell open. Where he was so used to see the Arc Reactor or where his heart should have been. A sphere of glowing blue energy beat like a heart pure and strong. Seeing it was strangely comforting like he was looking at himself with no taints in the way no masks no illusions. Just him, his expression soften from fear to aw and acceptance, he gentle touched his spark with a finger. The rush of pleasure hand him falling to his knees again.

_Systems reboot uploading memory. _

His optics went out as the memory played.

_You are one of us now, we saved you from your fate now you walk as a Child of Primus. We have equipped you with pretender technology that will allow you to take your human form again as will as mass shifter technology for when you want to be in your true form but more able to interact with the world around you. We live among the stars and you will come to us when you grow tired of Earth. By then we will need you, our species is dieing out as the result of a war that you are now part of. When we need you we will call for you, for now get to know your new body and Transform._

He jolted back online. "Transform?" he asked aloud another stray thought entered his processor and he said "Run, systems check display all upgrades." a hud appeared over his optics displaying that he was in perfect health and systems good energon levels steady. The displayed highlighted the pretender tec in his systems along with the mass shifter. "Ok. Transform." his whole body lurched but distressingly nothing happened. "Transform" he said again trying to feel his body changing. The effect was strange for a first time transformer to say the least. His parts moved around of there own accord accompanied with a strange sound that he would grow to associate with the sound of transformation. He hovered unsteadily in his jet mode unsure of how to proceed. "Well it can't be all that different from flying in a suit." Oh he was he wrong after a few unsteadily movements opened up his thruster and soared. His whole body sing as he took the skies for his own, very circuit alive his spark beating like birds wings in its case. His senor net light up like fire oh it was good to fly. He gunned for mach seven without even trying the rumble of his engines like music. His gold and red form streaked across the sky for home.

He circled above Stark Tower trying to decide on the best for of approach. He transformed mass shifted and flared his thrusters for a softest first landing in history. He glanced up his scanners on high alert of Pepper who thankful was absent. How could he explain this to her, he was about to be blown up, then he wakes up to find him self a giant alien organism form a different planet. Yah that would go down well.

"Sir?"

"Jarvis."

"Sir what happened?"

"I don't know."

The next few weeks flew by, he spent most of his time in a mass shifted version of his true protoform and learned how to connect to Jarvis like when he was in his suit. Which after a few test on his true self felt _very_ obsolete. He found that his armour was what he called dead metal was just that dead. His protoform the metal that made up his face and the his body was very alive. It acted like skin and could heal itself like live flesh and was very sensitive to touch and what surprised him most that it was soft and warm. As well as some other very mammal like discoveries. Aliasing his life blood under a microscope was the most fascinating things he ever had seen. He also found his arc reactor had be utilized to produce more energon because otherwise he had no way to get more which he found very distressing it was his life if he ever ran out he would die. He also discovered that while utilizing his pretender tec any food he ingested was converted to energy, which eased his worrying a little. He often snuck out of the tower to fly. Flying in his alt mode quickly became his favourite activity, even better than sex. The wind caressing his wings and all there delicate sensors, the dew sliding to his wings as he flew at mach six or seven making him shake in pure pleasure. He learned about his weapons systems how to transform with ease the more he learned about his new form the more at ease he felt. And oh how he was born to fly. But when Phil Coulson came to his tower with a brief case full of data, his spark sunk he felt that the fun was about to end.

_AN should I keep going? My writing style will change as I go as I run up to more of a present setting._


	2. Chapter 2

AN This was a challenge to myself, so if anyone has anything that they'd like to see or a scenario they'd like me do do. Drop me a message and I'll try to put it in to the best of my abilities.

Chapter 2 Outed

Greeting Bruce on the air strip of the Helicarrier, his sensors on high alert if Fury thought he was going to be impress in with this hunk of scrap metal he was going to be disappointed. When they arrived at the bridge of Fury's pathetic vessel it was easy to hack all of his files before leaving the bridge with Bruce.

Loki's staff proved an interesting source of energy Tony was sure he could use it to create energon but knew the chance to try would likely never occur. The revelation that Fury planned to use the Tesseract to create weapons wasn't at all surprising given that there were other people out there in the universe. By himself he was sure if he wanted to he could destroy every major city on the planet in a few days. It made sense that Fury wanted weapons, if Fury knew about his Proton Blaster that could take out the Helicarrier with a few shoots. Tony shuddered at the thought. When they all started arguing about weapons and Loki he was soarly tempted to revel himself as the alien that he was and introduce Fury to his Proton Blaster. Thankfully Bruce distracted them before that happened. Jumping outside to repair the Helicarries engine was a walk in the park save that bit where he almost got shredded. Thankfully he had a new suit waiting at the tower closer to his protoforms appearance but still far bulkier. He wasn't surprised to find Loki at his tower. During the fight with the Chitauri he could think of dozens of times when transforming would have been useful but he feared what would happen if anyone found out about him. Even eating shawarma he couldn't shake the fear if someone found out that he wasn't human, what he could do. His energon levels were low he needed to go home and refuel hopefully Jarvis manged to save some of his stores of the blue life giving liquid.

A few months after the Chitauri attack the Avengers started trickling into Stark Tower. First Bruce, the Natasha and Clint; finally Steve and Thor. Tony ran himself ragged trying to accommodate everyone and started coming up with new weapons and armour to help them on the field. But he found he could spend less and less time in his protoform and was starting to miss it. He was careful to lock his rooms when he went to recharge and when he worked with Jarvis in the lab. His break up with Pepper hit him hard but he was going to live forever, it just spared him future pain of watching her wither and die.

Tony was working in his lab when Jarvis pulled up the video feed from the living room.

"I'm I the only one hows noticed that Tony is either never here, or doesn't seem to ever eat or drink _anything?_" Clint said.

"When I think about it I don't think I've ever actual seen him eat other than that time in the shawarma joint." said Natasha

"Antony's behaviour when it comes to meals is very strange. He always finds some excuse to not join us." stated Thor

"Maybe he just doesn't like to eat with people." suggested Bruce "Leave him be."

Tony's optics flicked to the screen silently thanking Bruce for his intervention.

"How bout we have dinner with him tonight and ask him if he's allergic to anything." said Steve "He should join us for dinner at least some of the time."

"Actually have you noticed that they only thing he ever seems to drink is that blue stuff he keeps in his lab." Clint said

"Wonder if it's what keeps him from seemly needing anything else." said Bruce.

"Lets go get him for dinner, he can't live on strange blue liquid alone." Steve said getting up and heading out of the room.

The feed from the living room cut out.

"Sir might I suggest that you go out of the way to participate in more human actions in front of your team."

"Sure thing Jarvis." Tony said with an exasperated sigh. It wasn't that he didn't like eating with people he just forgot he ran on energon he didn't need food to survive.

He turned on his pretender tec and sighed he really wished he could spend more time in his protoform.

"Hey Tony come and join us for Chinese." Clint said.

Tony fought another sigh "Sure Bird brain all be up in a minute." Clint left a little surprised at how easy it was to get Tony to come.

Tony picked up a bottle of energon from the fridge he kept in his workshop. Perhaps it would help the Chinese go down without a fight, he hoped.

Chinese was easy enough and the energon definitely helped the Chinese tasted so bland and boring compared to energon. He could feel his systems purr with the new energy.

"Hey Tony what are you drinking?" asked Clint

Tony tried not to sigh "It's nothing Clint, just an energy drink that I whip up."

"It's the only thing that I've ever seem you drink."

"I just eat at weird times."

"Really I've never noticed any food missing." Natasha said

Tony sighed they were ganging up on him. "Look guys don't worry about it I've got it covered." Tony took another swig of energon the conversation and Chinese was leaving his throat dry.

"Can I try some that energy drink? If it can keep you going all day I wonder want it's like." said Clint

He just didn't give up. "I'd rather you didn't Clint." Tony said.

"Come on Tony it must be good if your chugging it back like that."

Tony whipped the corner of his lips with a thumb to catch the stray drop of energon. Of all his things it was one of the things he made sure that he never left any behind. "No Clint." he got up and left the table.

After Tony left the room Natasha punched Clint's arm.

"Ow want was that for."

"You made him leave." Natasha reached over the table and grab Tony's box and frowned "There's only two or three bits missing."

"He really doesn't eat much dose he?" said Bruce frowning

"This is so weird." Clint said

As soon as Tony hit is lab he locked the door and changed to his protoform and collapsed in his chair.

"Why can't they just leave it alone?"

"Perhaps sir they just wish to understand you better."

"I can't fake human very well anymore Jarvis if I spend more time with them I'm sure I'll slip up."

"Perhaps telling them sir would be the next best course of action."

"No I can't risk it getting out. I don't even feel human anymore I don't even like my human form anymore it feels wrong to be in it."

Jarvis had no answer for him.

"I'm going to go flying that always makes be feel better."

Jarvis knew he didn't mean flying in his latest Iron man suit. "Stay safe Sir."

Tony went to his private elevator rather then sneaking around the Tower something that he had gotten very adept at these last few weeks. Stepping out on the roof he took a deep breath cooling his systems and releasing stress." He transformed for the first time since the Avengers moved into is tower and took to the flying high when his was far above the city he mass shifted to his original size and finally let his engines rip. Blasting off at mach seven over the sea.

Clint stared off after Tony trying to pick his jaw up of the ground. There was no question that he had just seen Tony fly away but that left more questions then answers. What the hell was going on?

Tony transformed and landed back on the roof feeling happy and relaxed. Flying never failed to improve his mood. He rolled his shoulder and stretched his arms over his head and smiled his silver skin shining in the moonlight. Blissful unaware of the eye watching him with shocked expressions.

"I need to do that more often." said Tony

"Tony?" Natasha said

Tony whipped around to see his team stepping out of the shadows and froze. His first instinct was to leap and fly away and never come back, but the logical side of his brain said that he need his home. Tony felt his wings droop at the relation that he was going to have to face them.

"Uh hi guys." Rubbing the back of his head in a very human gesture.

"Tony what?" Steve didn't know what to say.

"Look guys don't freak out, it's still me." He put a hand over his spark. "Well usually I'm 25 feet tall, but its still me."

"What happened." asked Bruce Recovering before everyone else.

"I don't know one minute I'm human and getting blow to bits the next this."

"What are you?" asked Steve

"I don't know; some type of metal organism from a different planet." Tony's wings lifted just a little in the hope that they wouldn't take this to bad.

"Your not human?" Asked Natasha

"Nope that's pretender tec I'm outfitted with, this is the real me."

"I need to sleep on this." said Clint heading in for bed.

"That sounds like a good idea." Natatsha said Steve and Bruce following her

Thor clapped a hand on Tony's warm metal shoulder "Do not despair Man of Iron, they will come around."

"Your ok with this?" Tony's wings lifted up more.

"We are no different now, both people from a different world than this one."

"At least you look human without tec to help."

"I rather like your new form Antony it suits you more than your human one."

Tony's wings went back to there usual height. Thor clasped Tony's shoulder again and went to bed.

"Well that could have been worse." said Tony to the air, he wanted to go flying again but went to recharge instead he had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Light seeped through the curtains dancing over the proud Cybertronian form on the bed deep in recharge. His chested lifted and fell cycling air through his systems each movement caught the golden light making his red and gold armour shine.

"Antony?" a knock on the door resonated through the room.

"Zss what?" Tony rolled awkwardly onto his back one thing he hated about wings, you had to pick how you wanted to sleep and stay that way for the most part. He shielded his newly onlined optics from the sunlight.

"Wake up Antony, Natasha is threatening to call Fury about your new form if you do not wish this you must get up and explain the situation to her."

Tony lurched out of bed faster then ever before in his life and bolted for the door. Wretching it open he blew past Thor wings high in panic and made for the kitchen, leaving the god of thunder to eat his dust.

"Natasha what are you doing." Tony shouted snatching the phone from her hand and crushed it before she even had a chance to open her mouth.

"What are you doing Tony?" standing up to the tall metal man that could crush her skull with one hand.

"You can't call Nick." Tony hissed in a very Seeker like manner.

"Why not you had no right to keep this from us." gesturing to the six almost seven foot tall individual in front of her

Tony's wings snapped forward and his optics narrowed to slits. Natasha stepped back subconsciously Tony filled the room better than even Thor and for the first time in a long time Natasha felt scared as Tony barred his denta at her. "No Right." he hissed is optics glowing with fury. "This is how I am. I've run tests, I'm one of the most potentially dangerous people on the planet. I could take Fury's precious Helicarrier out of the sky with a few shoots from my Proton Blasters. I'm immortal, I don't age, my body is a weapon. I run on a form of energy that fuels every aspect of me, my weapons to my spark. I could crush Thor under the heel of my foot and not even notice, other than that I would have to scrape him of after. I will not be dragged off to SHEILD to be taken apart and experimented on. Fury wants more advanced weapons my systems would defiantly give him that and God knows what else. It undoubtedly do more harm than good." he spat. Natasha shrank back Tony like this was scary and what was scarier she new that he was right. "No one tells Fury or anyone else." he straighten and snapped to the rest of the team. He cycle air through his chest and closed his optics. He opened them and tried to rain in his temper. Looking down at Natasha he watched her still form and breathed again the glow faded from his optics and he flexed his hands and willed his claws back into his fingertips. He breathed again. "I'm sorry Natasha, I shouldn't have done that."

"No your right, Fury will use you for weapons." Natasha was still shrinking away from Tony's long, lean, strong Seeker form. It wasn't so different form his human one but his shoulders were broader and his waist narrower his smooth armour hugging his muscled protoform underneath. This wasn't Tony Stark the Man in the Iron Suit in front for her this was a machine build to fight and fly. Lean muscle and hidden power. He gently reached out and lifted her chin to meet his optics.

"Look at me Natasha, I'm still the same person you saved from palladium poisoning. Just in a new form and hopeful a little wiser after sending a nuke into space." he joked and smiled softly.

Natasha gazed up into those human like optics there gentleness holding true, he was still Tony Stark someone for all his flaws did truly care about his team mates. "Ok Tony but we do we know nothing about you anymore."

"I've been avoiding the team for the last few weeks because I didn't want anyone to find out, not even Pepper knows about this. I feared if I spent time with you guys I would slip up and you would find out and turn me into Fury. Ha I already slipped up with the eating thing. I'll try to spend less time in the lab and let you get to know me if that makes you feel better about the situation." He straighten his back and pulled his wings back trying to relax and be less intimidating.

"I think that that is a good start Tony." she said her eyes wondered over his now beautiful form in his state of calm. Even this Tony was hard to reconcile with the one she had seen only a minute ago. He was taller than the Hulk standing straight but no where near as wide. "After breakfast, we could go to the gym and see what you can do with this new body of yours."

Tony's smiled widened and his laughter boomed through the room. "The first thing you think of is how I'd far it a fight. You know I could crush your skull in one hand right? Or all of you by accident."

"Well we'll just have to teach you to keep track of your big feet."

"It's not my feet I'm worried about. Alright I'll be back to join you lot for breakfast just let me go get some energon from my lab." He walked about of the room.

"Well that went well." said Bruce

"How can he be so came about losing his humanity?" asked Steve

"I imagine he has been this way for some time now Captain and has grown used to it and he still acts very human at times. Still laughs and feels I believe that he hasn't changed all that much from the Tony we knew." said Thor

"Anyway we'll get to see what he can do in combat soon." Natasha said getting a cereal box from the cupboard.

Tony walked back into the room with one of his infamous blue bottles.

"I take it that that is energon?" Clint said

"Yep." Tony said putting the bottle to his metal lips and taking a swing. Leaning on the table rather than sitting in one of the wooden chairs that he suspected couldn't take his weight.

"What would it do to a human?" Clint was fiddling with his cereal

"Don't know, probably make you very ill."

"I take it that's why you didn't let me have any?"

"Well that and its a pain to make."

"How do you make it?"asked Bruce

"I annualized a sample of energon from myself and used the arc rector that I used to have in my chest but I took it out along with the tec that it was powering that made energon, that was pumped directly into my systems."

"Why'd you take it out?" asked Clint

"While it was producing enough to keep me healthy, it isn't necessary to have a constant new flow of energon going into my body so I took the tec out and have it creating energon that I then store for when I need it. This way if I'm ever damaged you have a supply of energon to work with rather then me just bleeding out. And I like drinking it makes be feel a little more human."

"Your going to have to teach me about this new body of yours Tony, so I can repair you if needed." said Bruce.

"Sure thing Bruce, but only hard copies of notes if anyone was to ever hack my systems, information on my biology is the last thing I want getting out."

"Good idea that would be a whole world of bad." said Bruce

Natasha finished her cereal and put her bowl in the dish washer. "Shall we head to the gym?"

"Yup" Tony picked up his bottle and followed her out of the room. The hiss of his joints accompanying him and his heavy foot falls drowning out Natasha's small steps. The rest of the team either shoving their food down there mouths or taking it with them as the followed the two from the room with the feeling they were in for a hell of a show.

_Any good?_


	3. Chapter 3

_Perhaps I should mention there's some slightly more mature content than my other chapters. Riyappe Paws, helped me with this chapter, the scence with Jarvis thats all her, her stories are awesome I highly recommend them.  
_

Chapter 3

"Damn it Nat!" Tony rolled away from Natasha

"Come on Stark, I sure you can do better than this." she put her hands on her hips with a unimpressed expression on her face.

"I can, damn it! But your so small and fragile, I worry about braking you by accident." said Tony pulling himself back into a standing position.

"If you where fighting Steve would you still be holding back?"

"Yes"

"Thor?"

"A little."

"Hulk"

"Maybe a little."

Tony thought it was satisfying to see Natasha's jaw on the floor.

"Come now Antony, let me test your metal." taunted Thor.

Tony groaned at the bad pun, "Alright big guy, but can we leave your hammer out of it. I don't what to have to buff out bents for the next few hours."

Tony and Thor stood across from the training mat. Tony rolled his shoulders and flexed his wings, while Thor bounced up and down, warming up.

Tony fell into ready position as Thor did the same. No one saw Tony's first blow. As fast as a Seeker, Tony closed the distance between them and introduced Thor to his metal foot.

Watching the blow deck the god was very satisfying, and Tony took a few steps back before he rolled his shoulders while the god heaved himself up off the floor. He had everyone's undivided attention now. A devious smirk crossed his face. This was going to be good.

The following fight was lengthy and educational; and Thor got to now the training mat really well. The god was strong, but Tony was fast and remarkably fixable Natasha noted.

Tony was laughing as he danced circles around the god of thunder.

"This is fun!" Tony leaped over Thor's head again as he tried to grad him. Tony landed and punched Thor in the back before jumping away from the flailing god.

"Ok Tony that's enough let Thor recover his dignity" said Natasha

Tony did a little dance on the spot showing of his mobility. "That was fun, we should to that more often"

"I think I will pass Antony." Thor said holding his back.

"You know this would have been useful in many fights Tony." Steve said frowning

"Capsical if you guys hadn't found out I would have never told you." Tony said flatly.

"Why don't you trust us?" Steve said

Tony looked over to Nat "What was it? Unstable, prone to self destructive tendencies? Do I need to continue? You never gave me a reason to trust you." Tony staked out of the gym, wings high and tight.

The other Avengers looked at each other then at Natasha.

"Shit" said Clit

Tony staked down the wall to his workshop. His safe haven, where no one was judging him. Tony fell into his soft leather chair, specially designed to accommodate his wings and sighed deeply.

"Sir?"

"Yes Jarvis." he closed his optics and pressed a hand to his head as if he was trying to relieve a head ache.

"Perhaps it would be wise to return to them and resolve the problem."

"How do you suggest I do that Jarvis? I can't trust them especially Natasha"

"What is wrong with trusting Doctor Banner or Mr. Rogers."

"Bruce is fine, but Capsicle... I mean Clit and Thor are good. Heck Thor was fine with this when he found out."Tony gestured to his body.

"Sir. Trust is not something that can be programmed into sentient beings. It must be earned. You must plant a seed by placing a small amount of trust, then build from there. That is exactly what the others are doing. They trust you enough, even though you are now very different and not the most trust worthy, by giving you a place on the team, and in return, they wish for respect and cooperation. When you can't show that you can step out of your own comfort zone and place a bit of power into their hands, it shows that you yourself can not be counted upon to do what is best for the team. Trust them and they may surprise you, Tony. What have they done to earn your distrust?"

"I.. Nat.. Fine you win." Tony sighed and hauled his sorry aft, back up stairs, finding the rest of the team watching the news. He picked a spot a little away from them on the floor and pretended to watch the news too. His wings remained high, alert even Thor could see that he was uneasy.

Steve was the first to pipe up "I'm sorry about what I said earlier Stark, you already explained why you kept it a secret."

"It." Tony scoffed "Its fine Cap."

Clint decided to brake the ice. "So Tony, now that your an alien robot. Are you still man?"

Tony's head snapped over to Clint. His face went through a look of horror, then a smile. "I'm not discussing that bird brain."

Clint bounced in his seat "Oh it must be something good, if you don't want to talk about it."

"Or it could be nothing." Tony said, if he was human he was sure he would have been bright red at this point. There was no way in the Pit that Clint was going to find out.

"Oh come on Stark, you would only be this defensive if it wasn't the same as it was before. Is it bigger, smaller, even there?"

Tony scoffed again "Of course its still there."

"Then why did you not say that you were still a man. 'Of course I'm still a man!" Clint made a horrible impression of Tony.

Tony buried his head in his hands. "I'm not saying Clint."

Clint crept in behind Tony and traced corner of one of Tony's wings. Everyone saw Tony shudder.

"Please stop that Clint, you have no idea what your doing."

Clint ignored him and started tracing patterns on his wings with both hands. Tony felt his internal fans kick on in an effort to keep him cool. This felt to good, his sensor network was alive with sensation. Tony leaned back into Clint's hands. "Frag" he thought, his optics shuttered closed and he purred. His how body relaxed into Clints touch, his wings released all the tension they had been holding since he left the gym. His brain was getting fuzzy with pleasure, he was having trouble thinking.

"You can trust us Tony." Clint said softly giving his attention to one wing as Natasha came over and started to caress the other.

"I love touch" Tony's optics where closed as he purred.

Natasha found it cute how relaxed he got when people touched him.

Tony's wings fluttered under the agents attention. It felt so good, his thinking process was shot now. He purred louder when Natasha pressed her fingers into the transformation seams where his wings joined his back.

"Why didn't you answer my question, earlier?" Clint asked making a long smooth sweep of the wing he was working on.

"Have both." Tony's optics were dim with pleasure.

"Sorry?" Clint passed. Tony huffed. Clint went back to touching.

"Both sets of equipment."

Clint passed and smirked, Oh the fun he could have with this. Natasha must have seen what was going through his head and cuffed him over the back of his head. Then stroked behind Tony's audio, he purred and pressed this head into her hand.

She chucked. "Your like a big cat." She walked around him and sat in his lap, pushing her fingers back into his sensor net.

He pushed his head into the crook of her neck and muzzled it there. His interface systems were active but taking the back bumper to enjoying the friendly caress for what it was. Maybe Jarvis is right this isn't so bad. Tony thought.

Bruce watched the unfolding scene. He had never seen Tony so relaxed not even in his lab, surrounded by his bots. He could see the stress fade from Tony's body, if this is what a few touches from the assassins did to him he could only wonder what would happen if someone how Tony liked touched him. Coming to a decision, he walked over to Tony and started to rain caresses down on the wing that Natasha had abandoned, occasionally wiggling his fingers into the transformation seams. Tony started clicking before going silent.

Tony exhaled and what he did next stunned the whole team. He sang, it wasn't English or any other human language, but it was incredible to listen to. The notes rained high and low making sounds that human vocal chords where not capable of. His voice was still very Tony but it was the most astounding thing to listen to. What they didn't know was that his Seeker programing had kicked in and as he wasn't pleasure them. His programing decided to sing a community song for them as payment for their attention. Seekers would form Trines to pleasure one another and to function properly Seekers need people to care for. Whether Tony wanted to admit it or not his programming had already decided that the Avengers would be his Trine and them pleasuring him was just cementing this in his processor. He would have to find a way to teach them the language of wings. He thought wistfully.

Thor thought he rather like this calm Tony and walked over to Clint and put his hands on Tony's wing.

Clint move around front and started to press his fingers into the seams on one of Tony's shoulders. Thor touched Tony's wings differently than the others. He used his whole and made slow sweeping stokes up and down, sometimes pinching the tips and sliding his hands along the wings edge.

Tony somehow manged to purr and sing at the same time. He felt his sensor net reach out to there fingers and linking with them. Rubbing his energon signature on them, marking them as his. His programming was satisfied with is claiming for now. He stopped sing and just purred softly under them. Slowly he opened his optics and sighed. "You can stop if you want guys."

Clint ticked Tony's seams one last time and went to sit on the couch. The news had since ended and none of them wanted to watch some sappy soap opera. Natasha eventually follow, she found that she liked the rumble of Tony's engine under her and watching him purr with that relaxed expression was just too cute. Thor and Bruce stayed a while longer last to come. Bruce was experimenting with different place that caused Tony to purr more than others and Thor was enjoying the feeling of smooth, warm metal under his hands. Tony tried to wake himself from his state of happiness and relaxation. "Ok guys you've made me all sleepy, so if you don't mind I'm going to lie down." He pulled himself way from there gentle hands and grabbed a large pillow one of the sofa and laid down by Natasha's feet before dozing off. Natasha reached down and stroked a wing. Tony purred in his sleep, after all he could relax this was his Trine. He was safe.

_Tony's not really aware of his Seeker instincts so he's somewhat at war with them because they are the opposite of his personality. I'll get into that in the next chapter._


	4. Chapter 4

**AN - Thanks for the reviews, I'm sorry this took so long, I've just haven't had any idea's. There is a large section from Transformers Exodus in here, but it fit so there. Also this chapter is a bit sadder then my other ones, but that was how to was flowing, sorry. I posted a poll on my profile for a Cybertronian name for Tony, if anyone has any other ideas, please PM me, or review I look at all of them. Please review, any suggestions or ideas are welcome. **

He ripped open the sky farther and farther, the air thinned and his engines purred till ... nothing. He transformed and allowed himself to drift at the edge of the world. Burning on one side, freezing on the other; his metal immune to the temperature. He turned and looked down on the blue marble that was his home, then lifted is helm up to the stars; expansive and so far, so cold. He leaned back and stared up at the endless void.

"Tony? Tony you there?" Bruce's voice came in clear over his comm link.

He slowly rose a servo and touched his audio receptor, "Loud and clear Bruce. I'm there. Told you I could do it."

"Really? Patch me into your optics."

Tony did so.

"Wow, isn't that something."

"Yeah no atmosphere in the way."

"How are your systems Tony?"

"Perfect Bruce, heck they even seem to like it up here."

"Is he there?" Clint asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, who else's video feed would I be looking at?"

Tony leaned forward so this audience could see earth and jetted carefully back with his peds to give them a clearer view.

"Careful Tony don't get to far away." Bruce cautioned

"It's fine Bruce, just look at that."

He could hear the sigh from the other Avenger's over the link.

"Thor?" he asked "Do you get a view like this in Asgard?"

"It is like looking over the side of the Rainbow Bridge Antony." Thor's voice was mournful.

"Any planets you what samples from Bruce?" Tony jested.

"Oh no, Tony, we don't know what effect an elongated stay in space will be on you."

"It's fine Bruce, I'm sure I could hit mach ten up here or more. There's no resistance." he passed "It's so freeing." he said dreamily. "How about Mars?"

"Tony." Bruce scolded.

"I'll leave the patch in, you can monitor me from there." He grinned.

Bruce sighed, "Don't forget that Mar's gravity is lighter then Earth."

"I won't." Tony stated as transformed and fired off towards the red planet, eating up the distance quickly; he didn't even want to think about how fast he was going as he pushed his engines to the max and reached Mars in mere minutes.

"Well that was informative." Bruce's voice returned to Tony's audio.

Tony just smiled and started on a slow descent to the planet aiming for uncharted area as it was less likely he would run into anything from Earth. Entering the atmosphere he closed his intakes to prevent Mar's dust from damaging his filters. He transformed fifty metres above the surface and carefully lowered the rest of the way down with his ped jets. Landing to kick up the least amount of dust possible truly dreading what it could do to his circuits.

"Being careful are we?" Clint teased.

"Marsain dust would shread your lungs Bird Brain, call it airing on the side of caution." said Tony taking a few carefully measured steps, little swirls of dust kicking up around his peds. The bleak red landscape far less pleasant up close, "Any particular place you want samples from Bruce?"

"No Tony, satisfy your curiosity and come home."

"Sure thing, big guy." He walked forward without a goal and pulled a relatively small container out of his subspace and gathered some rocks and dust. His mind wandered. 'Was Earth home?' he dreamed more and more of Cybertron; imagines implanted in his processors by the Ancients or something else? He dreamed of lakes of energon, a city that shined so bright one could see it from Iacon. 'Iacon' he rolled the word around in his mind. City of Cybertron's northern hemisphere, birthplace of the Autobots, destroyed late in the WAR.

He took the patch offline for a moment and shook his head, before switching it back on. The little tid-bits of information about his people were beyond frustrating.

"Tony are you alright you blacked out there for a second."

Tony touched his audio, "Fine Bruce." He stretched and rolled his shoulders before leaping into the air and transforming. Mar's lighter gravity carrying him up, though he could feel the sun scorching his armour. "Mars is a stupid planet to be looking to colonize. The dust is killer and there's no magnetic field." he thought at the idiots back on earth. He pulled out of Mar's atmosphere and allowed himself to drift for a few moments.

There was something about weightlessness that he enjoyed. Earth felt so muggy in comparison. Part of him just wanted to fly as far and as fast as he could for whatever was out there. Being confined to a planet felt wrong. His wing tips twitched and he made a decision and cut the optical feed.

"Tony? is something wrong?" Bruce said concerned.

"Nope, Big Guy. I just what to stay up and play for a while."

He cut the call and spun away from Earth as fast as he could, testing his limits. Banking right flaring his thrusters and shooting straight up. What he found the strangest was the silence. There was nothing to hear, not even his own engines; just the black void of space. Bruce would be monitoring his spark signal, he didn't even what to think about how fast he was going or the stunts he was pulling. He slowed down and pointed away from his solar system, and stared out into space. The pull, it clawed at his spark, sang at him to come to it. Be free of the humans, come to me. It echoed in his spark and pulled at his mind. He belonged among the stars.

"Tony?"

If he had an atmosphere around him he would have sighed, he turned around slowly and flared his thrusters back towards Earth, he was in no rush to be confined by air again.

He stopped just outside of Earth's atmosphere, transformed and just floated, staring down at the little blue planet. Home so much yet so fragile. So much pain and suffering; the humans were killing it. His mind wandered to the oceans fragile and dying as the humans fished them dry, toppling the food chain. His thoughts flowed to the north to the sharks and whales dieing by the hundreds simply because the average person didn't know or care. Rage burned through his circuits. He was stuck here and he had a weapon that no one knew about, and by the All Spark, he was going to use it.  
He transformed and blasted to the North pole, coming in much faster then necessary and activating his sensors for human ships. He shored over the frozen ocean, scanning. The Japaneses there the worst offenders, and it was illegal to fish here. He would have to be quick so no one got pictures.

It didn't take long to find a ship. He slowed to a hover high above it then blasted down, filling the ship with energon holes. He could hear sirens wail was he blasted away, they had life boats and would be fine. Perhaps if he kept on blasting illegal whaling and sharking vessels, they would stop sending them out for fear of the financial losses.

If he was stuck on this planet for the next hundred years, Primus he was going to protect it. Whether it be with his arc reactors or protecting its animals. He found three more ships and reduced them to the same state as the first. Before allowing himself to shore just above the waves, salt licking his underside. He backed right and skirted the glaciers listening to the crack and brake away. If anyone found out what he had done they would call him an environmental terrorist, but what was anyone else doing about it? Most of the worlds population was either ignorant of the problem or chose to do nothing. There was little he could do for the sharks as long line fishing took time and he would have to pull up the nets and release any wildfire trapped on it. He shuddered at the thought. Most would be dead, suffocated or strangled. He sighed there was nothing he could do for them right now, but he might as well make use of his new found anonymous status.

Bruce hailed him for the tenth time, but Tony ignored him, favouring soaring over the waves and listening to the ice.

He transformed and sat on the North pole. Bruce had long since given up calling him. He leaned back in the frozen snow gazing up into the north sky, the Norther lights dancing across it.  
Immortal. The word danced in his mind. To live forever, to watch everyone he cared about die. He curled his fingers into the snow, listening to it crack and crunch. He knew the world was full of problems. His arc reactor project was to solve one problem, but for just that one there were a thousand more. He gazed up at the sky. But now he had time to fix every last one, or at least try.

He closed his optic covers and listened. This was how they always started, his dreams of Cybertron. The last few had been of the Golden Age of the Thirteen and Primus. Lately it had been of Sentinel Prime and Megatronous, it was as if he was being taught the history of his people through the dreams. As good a way as any he guessed.

What he saw made him look at the humans differently, a young race making it's share of mistakes. He saw the founding of Cybertron, the great battles between Primus and Unicron, and all that came after of pain and betrayal. Then the descent of his culture into the cast system, a status of society. He vented deeply taking the fringed air into his vents and cycling it through. He wanted to see more, to find out what happened that created a war that was driving his kind to extinction as the voice that recreated him said was happening. Last night was of Orion Pax and Megatron, he wondered what tonight would be.

_Tony stood in The High Council of Iacon and he felt through Orion Pax, sharing in his thoughts. It was built in the shape of an idealized Spark, with radiant arms running in three dimensions away from a central space where the Council stood at long, slightly curved row of podiums. Each member had a gavel, and each could signal to the moderator a desire to speak. The gallery was in several balconies rising vertically away from a viewing area on the floor. There was not an empty space to be seen; Cybertronians of every shape and size packed the floor, Minicons struggling for good sightlines among hulking Lightning Strike Coalition, the combiners grouped together near a back corner, and the multiforms who flitted and flicked around the periphery of chamber, or hung from the edges of balconies, or hovered above the dais. It was an active scene, but order prevailed. Militias of the High Council had segregated pro- and anti-reform spectators, and created another subdivision to keep officials and policy makers away from those who were there purely out of interest in seeing the theater of a Council debate. Orin Pax stood along the wall, approximately halfway between the Council dais and back wall of the chamber, where the thirteen entrance doors symbolized the guiding spirit and philosophical oversight of the Primes. _

_Today the moderator was Halogen, who according to legend had known some of the Primes personally and had seen Cybertron through every disaster since the disappearance of the Fallen. His long experience and perspective-or so Alpha Trion had suggested to Orion Pax-would lead him to be open-minded about the prospect of abandoning castes and returning to a more open social system such as the one that had existed in the aftermath of the War of the Primes._

"_On the other hand," Alpha Trion had added, "there are a number of other Councilors who will be against this from the beginning because they are against anything that disturbs the status quo."_

_This made so sense to Orion Pax. "Why? If nothing ever changed, we might as well have never emerged from the Well."_

"_Why? Interesting question," Alpha Trion said. "Consider this. If you are on the High Council as the status quo?" He saw Orion Pax figuring it out. "Yes. You are going to see them as personal challenges. This is what your gladiator friend, and you, are going to be up against in the Chamber. Bear it in mind."_

_And Orion Pax was, as he entered the Chamber for the first time and took in its grandeur. Here, all of the luminaries of Cybertron past had proclaimed their ideals and testified their beliefs. He was humbled to join those ranks, and still somewhat amazed that the Council had agreed to hear the ideas of a data clerk and a gladiator who imagined a new way forward for Cybertronian society._

_Of course he had Alpha Trion to thank . . . and the more he saw Alpha Trion's name appearing in the Archives and put it together with landmarks events in Cybertron's history, the more Orion Pax started to believe that there was more to the Archivist than met the optic. Orion Pax was no fool, and if Alpha Trion was just an Archivist, then all of Cybertrion was going to have to rethink its ideas about the denizens of the deepest, darkest libraries and repositories of knowledge._

_Without Alpha Trion, Orin Pax thought, I would not be here._

_And, paradoxically, now that he was in the Council Chamber, Alpha Trion was not there. He had elected not to attend, he said, because he did not want the Hall itself associated with the argument that would take place. Orin Pax could not help but wonder if this was some kind of test. He could imagine Alpha Trion saying to him: There. I got you your audience. Now it is up to you and your gladiator friend to see what you may make of it._

_All the while, Orion Pax thought, Alpha Trion would be observing on a Grid feed, his Quill tapping and scratching, tapping and scratching . . ._

_The moderator, Halogen, tapping his gavel on his podium, and the business of settling in for the Council session concluded. "We are here," Halogen growled, "to take up a question of gravest consequence, for it is a question that has brought our society from peace to the edge of civil war in a very few megacycles. The Council first states without reservation that it deplores the acts of violence that have so far taken place. Those must be answered for and one of our goals today will be to discren who should answer for them."_

"_Further, the question of legitimacy of castes will be addressed. The Council feels that the caste system was instituted legally and that Sentinel Prime has overseen its continuation in a prudent way. Were he here, he would be able to speak for himself, but this brings us to a dire reality. There are those among us who would prefer terror and violence to discussion and consensus."_

_Halogen began to play to the number of Grid feeds whose lenses were visible all around the chamber. "Sentinel Prime, the Council believes you to be alive and well. We call upon your captors to renounce their ways, release you, and present themselves to the machinery of justice! Regardless of the merits of an argument, it must not be prosecuted by lawless behavior."_

"_Hear! Hear!" cried out a smaller Councilor from his podium at the end of the row._

_Ratbat, as he was known, was widely known to be corrupt and beholden to the established interests represented in the upper echelons of Cybertronian society. It was said of Ratbat that he never believed anything for more than a cycle at a time unless he was paid to. Orion Pax had never spoken to him._

_A few other voices picked up and echoed his approbation. Halogen gaveled for order. "I beg of you to contain yourselves, fellow Councilors," he said severely. "Or else how may we demand of our audience that they keep themselves in check?_

_After a pause, he went on._

"_It is said that the former gladiator now as Megatron is responsible for the disappearance of Sentinel Prime. This is a most troubling accusation and must be addressed. It is further said that the Seekers and their commander Starscream have been co-opted into Megatron's unsavory operations. This, too, must be addressed despite the recent relocation of Starscream to the space station Trypticon." Halogen paused. "Introductions are wearisome. Let us begin to hear from the citizens. First the High Council, under penalty of confinement and further justice, commands the Cybertronian of Kaon known as Megatron to present himself."_

_An anticipatory murmur and buzz spread through the Chamber as everyone present-including Orion Pax-looked around for Megatron. Very few of them had ever seen him in person, but nearly all had beheld his likeness via the Grid._

_He was nowhere to be found-and then he was, materializing as if out of nothing to stride down the center aisle onto the floor and present himself at the Witness Podium before the Council dias. "I am here at the request of the High Council," he said._

_Halogen and the other Councilors took a long time to look him over. "Are you the Kaonian idustrial worker and so-called gladiatorial champion who assumed the moniker of Megatron?" asked the Council Secretary, a powerful Seeker named Contrial._

"_I am."_

"_By what authority do you claim this name?"_

"_By my own and no other."_

_The audacity of this answer caused a ripple of surprise, tinged with approval and condemnation in the roughly equal measure, to spread throughtout the audience. Halogenn banged his gavel the and sound subsided. After a moment of imperious staring at the unruly gallery, Contrial went on. The tone of his voice had acquired a new edge. "Are you not aware that names are presented at the Well of AllSparks and nowhere else?"_

"_I am aware of that tradition," Megatron said. "I do not recognize it as the only possibility."_

"_Let us not quibble over the protocols of how a citizen chooses to identify himself," interjected Ratbat. "Surely there are more interesting questions to address."_

"_And just as surely, the protocols of this Council should be observed," said Halogen._

_Ratbat nodded and spoke no more. "Your testimony before the Council," resumed Contrial, "is commanded to be truthful and complete."_

"_And so it shall be," Megatron answered, "although I fear that the complete truths I have to offer will not please those members of the High Council who demand obeisance rather than the interchange of equals."_

_Again the gallery muttered and whispered, and again Halogen graveled them into silence, and again Contrail glared at anyone who dared to meet his eye. Orion Pax gazed right back at him. He had not spoken, had not made a sound, but he was not going to be cowed by anyone. The days of hierarchies on Cybertrion were over-or if not over, waning. Orion Pax could look around the Chamber and see that just from the postures and attitudes of the audience. He wondered if the Councilors saw it, too, and if they were already performing the internal calculus that would let them allow the changes Megatron and Orion Pax called for. In all probability, if they did so, they would frame it as their own action, arrived at for their own reasons. Orion Pax knew this and had decided that he would accept any amount of grandstanding if it meant that their goal was accomplished. But he did not know how Megatron felt on the topic._

_Contrial nodded at Halogen, signaling that the identification and swearing-in of the witness had concluded and that the testimony could begin._

"_In the beginning," said Megatron, "I had no name."_

_He paused to let that sink in. There was no sound in the Council Chamber._

"_None of us did. We spoke to each other, down in the mines and the smelters, by electronic signature. We indicated each other by function. We assigned each other nicknames. I was D-16, named for the sector of the mine where I conducted demolition operations. And then I saw my first match in the gladiator pits." Megatron had spoken exclusively to the Council so far. Now he extended an arm backward and up, picking out the crew of industrial bots on the second balcony. "That is where I first learned how life was for the lower castes that none of you ever take a nanoklik to consider. Each Cybertronian in that balcony has seen more Cybertrionians die himself than the total of you in the rest of the gallery. Our lives are worthless!"_

_His voice rose to a thunder out this last sentence. Reflexively Halogen tapped his gavel. "Until," Megatron said over the echo of the tap of the gavel. "Until we decided we had worth. We, the lower castes. We, the bots who die in subsurface mills and factories creating all of the things that you up here take for granted. We learned that we were individuals by facing off against each other in the gladiator pits in Slaughter City and Kaon, and how did we know we were individuals?" He waited for a moment to let the question sink in. The Chamber was silent again as gallery and Council alike awaited Megatrons's next flourish._

"_We knew we were individuals because as we killed our opponents in the ring, we saw in their deaths the realization that they were individuals. And so we knew we were, too. In killing, we understood life. In being the most disposable of commodities-a gladiator, whose remains are thrown into the junkpile to be picked over and scavenged, the healthy pieces sold off to brokers in Iacon and Crystal City-in being disposable, we discovered that we had value. Someone would pay us for what we did. Someone would cheer when we killed, and roar in anger when we died._

"_So if our lives had worth-even to others just as worthless as we were-then we had the right to names," Megatron finished. "And that is how the sequence of events started that led me to being here before you today. My friend Orion Pax, I thank you for helping our cause gain this platform; and to the High Council, I express my thanks for your time and attention."_

_And with that surprisingly conciliatory ending-or that was how ti came across to Orion Pax, in any case- Megatron fell silent, awaiting question. They were not long coming._

"_In what way are you linked to the terrorist bombing of Six Lasers and other sites a few megacycles ago?" asked Contrail._

"_I had nothing to do with those actions," Megatron said. "An issue like this one raise intense passions. I myself feel passionately about it. The difference between me and those who would bomb Six Laseres is that I channel my passions in a direction that I think will be better for all Cybertronians. I disavow any act that does not ultimately herald a new and better era on Cybertron."_

_A clever phrasing, Orion Pax thought. He remembered his conversation with Megatron in which Megatron had pointed out that the existence of extremists made him look reasonable by comparison. Here was the proof, that he could stand here in front of the High Council and make pronouncements about the value of individuality while Guild representatives shifted noisily in the front rows of the floor area._

"_Clearly you are exceptional, especially for one of your caste," Contrail parried. "Are you not responsible if your rhetoric excites those unfortunates without your willpower, though? Do you not have the same responsibility that this Council and its members have, if your leadership position is to be taken seriously?"_

"_What you have to worry about is what will happen if my leadership is not taken seriously,"said Megatron._

"_It would seem that we have seen that already," interjected a new voice, the rumbling Drivetrain. One of the patriarchs of the group loosely known as the Constructicons, Drivetrain originated in the middle castes associated with building and civil engineering. His influence on the High Council was the result of long service and gradual acceptance among the other members, who by the large came from higher castes associated with science, arts, and government. _

"_I will say it again. I had nothing to do with those bombing or with the attack on the Altihex Station casino." Megatron stood resolute._

_Orion Pax couldn't decide whether to admire him or be scandalized that he could stand up in front of the High Council and ignore the truth. He saw motion at the back of the gallery and noted the Soundwave had entered, a Minicon perched on either shoulder. The Minicons scampered down Soundwave's arms and disappeared into the crowd._

"_You will say it again, and I will disbelieve it again," Drivetrain said. "Would you have me believe that your co-conspirator, a data clerk in the House of Records, materminded and invasion and kidnapping using a force of bots who identified themselves as Deceptions and specifically proclaimed their allegiance to you?_

"_Deception?" echoed Megatron. "An interesting name."_

"_You would think so," Drivetrain pressed him. "Since it was you who coined it, was it not?"_

_Megatron drew himself up to his full height. He was larger than most Cybertronians, and the diffuse light of the Council Chamber made his combat scars seem silvery, almost luminous. "I would say that you should implicate neither me nor my friend Orion Pax until you have facts. What other bots might have said means nothing to me. But if the term Deceptions is to be laid at my feet, I accept it!" he said "Sometimes deception is necessary, when those who should listen to the truth will not, and will only understand once they have been lied to and forced to see their own lies."_

"_Very well, Drivetrain. You have provoked him," Ratbat said. He looked around, making a show of waiting for other Councilors to speak. None did. Orion Pax thought in that moment that all of it was a charade, that they were never going to get anything from the Council . . ._

_That if there was to be war, it had been decided before any of them had entered the Chamber. Perhaps even before Alpha Trion had succeeded in gain them the invitation._

_A shouting match had erupted while Orion Pax was distracted by Ratbat's unctuous blathering about choice and collective good. "What the High Council has so far failed to understand is that it is our right!" Megatron boomed over the sound of Halogen's gavel._

"_Each and every Cybertronian has a right to question the Council's actions, and to demand change when those actions fall short of the Council's mandate." With that, apparently a parting shot in a salvo much of which Orion Pax had missed, Megatron paused._

"_What say the Guilds?" croaked the ancient Halogen._

"_Representative of the Guilds, Sigil speaking," said a Cybertronian even more ancient and doddering than Halogen. They had emerged from the Well on the same day, it was said, and had ever since backed each other whenever conflict arose._

"_Speak, Sigil," the High Council droned in unison._

"_The Guilds claim the right that is theirs." Sigil indicated the assembled heads of the Guilds, who administered the castes and exercised absolute control over which newly born Cybertronians were routed into which castes. "For thousands of orbits and more-since the disappearance of the Primes, in fact-the Guilds of Cybertron have guided the populace in their decisions about life and work. Without the Guilds, there would be no developed civilization. There would be no Space Bridges. There would be no Hydrax Plateau spaceport. There would be no Moon Bases. There would be no Teletraan-1, and no city of Iacon to house it."_

_He turned to address the Council, after having played to the gallery during the first part of his speech. "Can one criminal . . . one gladiator with the deaths of how many innocents on his conscience . . . can this killer be suffered to undermine what Primus himself decreed when he created this planet and seeded all Cybertronians on it through the Well of AllSparks?"_

_The Grid fed his words out across Cybertron, and the planet itself seemed to be listening. In the Sonic  
Canyons, a hush fell over the repair crews working on Vector Sigma's interface. As he spoke, Sigil seemed to gain strength._

"_The Guilds have overseen the prosperity of all Cybertronians, and created the framework within which any individual Cybertronian can find his role in our society. If every criminal malcontent is given the chance to upend what we have spent megacycles working to maintain, then I fear for the future of our civilization. I fear for Cybertron itself."_

_A rumble of approval and discontent swept through the Council hearing chamber. Halogen gaveled the audience back to silence and pointed the gavel at Orion Pax._

"_Here is another come to testify," he rumbled. "What say you, Orion Pax, clerk at the Hall of Records in Iacon?_

"_I say first that Sigil makes no friends among unhappy Cybertronians because he is as pompous as and Spark ever has been," Orion Pax said. He was angry at Sigil's mischaracterizations and he had decided that, with everything there was at stake, it would be useless to hide it._

_He had a reputation of being level-headed and calm. With luck, his show of anger would register with the Council and bring home to them the degree to which many Cybertronians sympathized with the burgeoning anti-caste movement and, specifically, with the charismatic figure of Megatron._

_Moving from his spot next to the wall, Orion Pax worked his way through the crowd and down the center aisle, speaking as he walked and as other members of the audience made way for him. He thought he could see subtle signs of encouragement from many of them, and he knew he could see simple hate on the faces of some._

"_You claim for the Guilds the power to determine the lives of every Cybertronian," Orion Pax said. "Is this what the Thirteen would have wanted? Is ti any coincidence that as the Guilds rose to power and the castes became entrenched, Cybertron lost contact with the rest of Transformer worlds? As you confine each Cybertronian into a smaller and smaller space, with less and less room to go and see and do what he might want, you create a world in which no one knows how to look beyond anymore. No one knows how to imagine."_

"_I can imagine an end to this session," Ratbat called out. Laughter boomed through the chamber. Orion Pax looked around, fearing that he had lost the goodwill of the audience . . . and that was when he saw Jazz, squarely in the middle of the lowest balcony, his bright colours standing out. Jazz put one hand out and made a fist._

_Be strong._

_Orion Pax turned back to the Council. He had considered the possibility of delivering a speech, and even given some thought to what he might say, but now that the moment had come he had no idea how to begin._

_So he began simply. "Fellow Cybertronians, members of the Council, hear me. Megatron speaks harshly but true. He has seen the truth of life for many Cybertronians whose lives are all too often invisible, and if he is angry, it is anger born of love for an ideal and Spark-deep pain at our failure of that ideal._

"_The recent attacks were savage and inexcusable-yet they were only symptoms. The unrest spreading across Cybertron will not stop with these attacks because it is the natural expression of a people who for to long have been held in check, their potential forever unrealized because of the false constraints of caste and Guild._

"_It is natural for a being born with Spark to know that it should be free. And it is natural that Cybertronians, who are born to change from one form to another, should want to be able to change their roles within Cybertronian society as a whole. If castes and Guilds fight change, they fight our own nature-and the nature of Cybertron itself. The absence of change is not stability. It is entrophy. Only dead things stay the same."_

"_No Cybertronian is simply the mechanical sum of his parts. From the smallest Minicon to the mightiest combiner, from the simplest data processor to the scientists who teach us the laws of the universe, each of us contains a living Spark that makes us who we are, not simply what we are. The Spark within us awakens us to the possibility of freedom. It makes us alive to the idea that we might choose what we shall become-as each of you did, Councilors. Why should we not? One bot's freedome can never be given or taken away by another. This goes against the very nature of the Spark, the very nature of Cybertron itself."_

"_In the past, in times of great need, noble Cybertronians rose to become Prime and lead our civilization out of crisis. Most recently, Sentinel Prime-once one of this chamber's honorable Elite Guard-united all Cybertronians against a dire threat. High Councilors fought alongside smelters and data clerks then, to drive off an invader. What did this invader want? To enslave us, to turn us into property, to deprive us of our fundamental Spark-given right of self-determination. Have we driven the Quintessons off only to enslave ourselves by caste and Guild? And well be crush this new movement toward freedom, sacrificing freedom for order? I say no. Order achieved through force can never be a true peace. There can be no true peace through tyranny."_

"_The time has come for all Cybertronians to be united again, and I say we need a new Prime to unite us. We do not need a new Prime who moves us as if we were parts of a great machine, who demands that we be drones and slaves as the price of peace that only stasis. The Guildmasters and Keepers of the Castes do that more than adequately, and look where they have gotten us. Cybertron needs a leader of the free, a Prime who recognizes that all Cybertronians are autonomous robots, owned by no one but themselves, masters of their own fates."_

"_I will say it again. Autonomous robots!"_

"_We will remember this moment, in this Council Chamber, as the moment where free robots broke the welds of oppression that had taken the beauty of Spark away from us. We are all autonomous robots today-Autobots, if we need a name to rally around-and we Autobots declare that a Spark once freed will never again stand to be oppressed._

"_You must choose a new Prime today. Choose well, for a Prime might either lead Cybertron to a new golden era in our history, or stand by as the dark energies of anger and resentment explode into planetwide chaos and war."_

"_Members of the Council, the choice is yours. I wish you wisdom."_

_He knew he had spoken well because when he finished, the Council Chamber was silent. Even those bots Orion Pax knew to be his enemies were forced to consider what he had said. The knowledge of this overcame him in the nanokliks immediately following that last sentence; Orion Pax raised both arms, fists clenched, and thundered, "For Cybertron! Autobots!"_

_Over the pounding of Halogen's gavel, the crowd erupted. "AUTOBOTS!"_

"_For freedom! Autobots!"_

_AUTOBOTS!_

_It started high up in the gallery, beyond where Megatron's oldest and most loyal followers were clustered. AUTOBOTS! And from there it spread. AUTOBOTS! AUTOBOTS! AUTOBOTS!_

_This time it took nearly a full cycle before Halogen and the other Councilors could gavel the gallery back to silence. And Orion Pax noticed something odd. When he caught Megatron's optic, he was expecting approbation. Instead he saw anger on his friend's face, and did not know why. Surely, brother, he thought, it is more important to accomplish our goal than it is for us to agree on every mote of our method?_

_He did not know if that was what angered Megatron, but Orion Pax his friend, and he knew they would have words. If not during the course of the High Council hearing, then after. Megatron clearly had something on his mind, and he was not a Cybertronian who kept his emotions to himself._

_At least not for long._

"_There is more to this scenario than whether you, Orion Pax, and you, Megatron will call your followers Autobots or Deceptions," Halogen said when at last he had gaveled the Council Chamber back into something resembling silence. "Your actions thus far have set this planet on a course of war. Megatron," he went on, leveling his gavel at the great gladiator, "it matters not a bit whether you told your Deceptions to abduct Sentinel Prime or not. What matters is that your Decepticons abducted Sentinel Prime. And Orion Pax, it matters not whether you and Megatron have argued over methods or philosophy, because your actions have contributed as much to the current crisis as his have."_

_This strung, but Orion Pax knew he must accept it. Humility comes before greatness, it said somewhere in the Covenant, and where humility has not paved the road, greatness may not walk it._

"_Yes Councilor," he said._

_This seemed to satisfy Halogen-more, at any rate, than Megatron's haughty silence had. "The question of freedom has lain dormant for far too long. We, this Council, must accept our share of the blame for this. I stand before you, citizens of Cybertron, and I express my regret for my failure to see and acknowledge the pent-up anger caused by perpetuation of the caste system."_

"_Councilor," Ratbat interjected. Four other Councilors echoed him, among them Contrail. Ratbat went on. "Surely you do not wish to upend the caste system that is serving us so well and stably right now."_

"_Ratbat, you fail to understand that the upending of the caste system has already happened. It happened with the detonations at Six Lasers and the Sonic Canyons and the other places where innocents lost their lives at the hands of zealots. And it happened at Altihex Casino, where our leader-our detached, disaffected, disinterested leader-vanished with apparently no fight whatsoever."_

_This drew a roar and tumult of disapproval. "It is time to see what is before us!" Halogen cried out. "We have been willfully blind for far too long."_

_Orion Pax and Megatron stood together, listening. They glanced at each other. Orion Pax could still see the anger in his friend's face, but he saw also that they were still allied, still working together. Whatever the Council said, the movement would continue._

_And the Council said that they had already won._

"_Without leadership our civilization must surely founder," Halogen went on. "This High Council, with its thirteen competing voices, may deliberate and consult, but in the end a single individual must make decisions. Sentinel Prime would have done it but he is . . ."_

"_We do not know where Sentinel Prime is," Sigil said._

_No, Orion Pax was thinking. We do not. And it may be that we do not find him until long after this is settled. We cannot count on anything, he realized. No existing structure can handle the problems we have raised._

_He glanced over at Megatron, and could tell from his friend's expression that they had reached the same conclusions-but have very different reactions to it. Megatron looked as if he could gleefully have presided over the permanent and total destruction of every institution of Cybertronian civilization. Orion wanted to be free. But if there was no Cybertron, if there were no Iacon or Hydrax or Sonic Canyons. . . then what good would freedom do?_

"_Silence!" commanded Halogen. "This is not the time for commentary from the gallery. The High Council speaks here, and will speak until it is done." He paused, recovering his temper. "In the absence of Sentinel Prime, we must take collective steps where we would prefer to have individual initiative."_

"_What are you getting at?" Megatron called out._

"_If the times are as dire as you say, they do not permit elaborate speeches. Let us hear what you have to say, plainly and directly."_

_Halogen stared at him in a silent fury of affront. In that gaze Orion Pax could see everything that was wrong with Cybertron, everything that his awakening made him want to change. Who cared about the protocols of the High Council, about Halogen's sense of decorum, about the grand theatre of waving gavels and shouting dissents from the gallery? None of that was real. None of it mattered._

_Because somewhere in a pit below the surface, perhaps in Kaon, perhaps even in Iacon . . . a nameless gladiator was dying._

"_Then I will speak as plainly and directly as I may," Halogen said._

_Megatron started to speak again, but Orion Pax reached over to put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's hear what they have to say," he said quietly. After a tense moment, Megatron relaxed._

"_There have been attempts to discover the Matrix of Leadership," Ratbat said. "We suspect taht elements of these Decepticons are responsible."_

"_What seems at least as likely is that any band of malcontents claiming the name Decepticon can be linked to these searches," Contrail said. "How are we to know the truth about what Megatron himself, or Orion Pax for that matter, might be planning?"_

"_Orion Pax has disavowed the name Decepticon." Halogen pointed out._

"_Who then is mobilizing spies to dig through old ruins and sneak past security in Crystal City?" The voice came from the gallery. No one could tell immediately who had called out, but Orion Pax recognized the voice. It was Megatron's spymaster Soundwave._

_That's what is happening here, Orion Pax thought. Someone is maneuvering me into a position and waiting for me to agree to occupy it. Soundwave had never trusted him, not from the moment they had met inside the great gleaming pyramid in Kaon, the nerve center of everything that had made Megatron who he was._

_Whatever happened, resolved Orion Pax, he was going to have to make sure that he never turned his back on Soundwave._

"_The Matix of Leadership, more than any other remnant of the Age of Primes, defines Cybertronian society by marking the leader of the Cybertronians, irrevocably and irreversibly." Halogen stood a little off to the side of his podium, allowing the entire gallery to see him in full instead of as a head-and-shoulders bust behind a piece of furniture. "But the Matrix does not grant itself to whoever might find it. On the contrary, it has a tendency to discover those who have the innate qualities necessary to claim it."_

"_And none of the searchers thus far have found it. Which means," added Ratbat, "that it has not permitted itself yet to be found."_

_It was unlike Ratbat to mention mythology, or anything more far-reaching than the events of the next megacycle. What was he doing suddenly seconding Halogen's excursion into the nature of the Matrix of Leadership? Orion Pax was suspicious. He saw that Megatron looked as if he wasn't quite sure what was going on, either._

_Unaware of what anyone in the Chamber thought, Halogen pressed forward. "This body, the High Council of Cybertron, has realized that events in our cities are spiraling out of control. Part of this is due to a lack of leadership, which explains the sudden surge in the number of expeditions searching for the Matrix of Leadership. But, as we have explained, the Matrix will not reveal itself to just anyone."_

_Contrail stepped forward to stand at Halogen's shoulder. "There is a way forward. We have consulted with the Archivist of the Hall of Records and he has revealed to us some things we did not know."_

"_Get on with it," muttered Megatron. Only Orion Pax could hear._

_What were they getting at? Orion Pax couldn't tell from all the ceremonial verbiage. Yes, the Matrix of Leadership was lost. Yes, someone was going to have to find it, especially in the absence of Sentinel Prime. But what did this have to do with the question of castes, and of individual self-determination among the forgotten classes of Cybertronians?_

_Orion Pax had never been a great observer of the High Council, but he didn't think they were known for this kind of uncertainty and dithering. They looked like they had been caught doing something wrong, and were trying to make it right without ever admitting that it had been wrong._

_Halogen regained control. "The Matrix of Leadership is on Cybertron though it has not been seen in many billions of cycles. According to the Archivist, Alpha Trion, it may be found in these turbulent times, and if found will lead all Cybertronians through to a new age on the other side."_

_Halogen leveled his gravel at Orion Pax and Megatron. "Yes," Megatron said softly, so softly that Orion Pax wasn't quite certain he had heard._

_And then Halogen said, "Orion Pax, upon you we place the quest for the Matrix of Leadership."_

_Silence fell, so absolute that Orion Pax only then realized how much ambient noise there was in a room full of Cybertronians unless they stood absolutely still. It was as if the High Council and its Chamber and everyone within had suspended every function, frozen themselves in space and time, as the implications of the High Councilor's words became clear._

_Orion Pax could not believe that they might be saying what it seemed that they might be saying. "Excuse me?" he said, knowing that Halogen spoke again it would be to clarify a misunderstanding. Next to Orion Pax, Megatron's stillness was the stillness of decommissioned factories in long-dead cites._

_As one, the High Council set their gravels down and saluted. No, Orion Pax started to say-but he did not, because he could not interrupt the High Council and because he realized that it was not his place to refute the beliefs of his people. Perhaps the Matrix of Leadership was mythical, perhaps not. He believed it was not because he trusted what he had read in the Hall of Records._

_He trusted that he knew the true history of Cybertron, except those portions of history that time or circumstance had hidden from him._

_And in the end, he trusted that the leaders charged with acting in Cybertron's best interest would do that. If he believed that, he must let them speak._

"_The Matrix of Leadership is yours to seek, because from this moment forward,"said Halogen in a voice that filled the Chamber even over the astonished outbursts of the gallery, "you are Optimus Prime. Unite Cybertron and all of the Cybertronians. Usher in this new era you have spoken of so eloquently."_

_The Archivist knew, Orion Pax thought. Is this what he knew? Is this what they were talking about?_

_How could he have known?_

_His optics locked on the rage in Megatron's face._

Tony lurched awake with cold liquid stains running down his cheeks. That was why is people were dying, because one gladiator wanted freedom, to lead his people into a new age and is best friend was chosen for the job instead? Jealousy was the cause of a near extinction? He touched his wet cheek, so it seemed he could still cry, he was afraid to fall asleep again, afraid to see the war that had destroyed his home and was decimating his people.

He sat up and pulled he legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Autobots and Decpticons, he looked over to his wings and stared at the softly shining red symbol. He was an Autobot, a protector. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. The words sang in his mind, a protector of life, he stared down at his servos and clenched them; all this made him feel old.

He blinked; perhaps that was a good thing. He leaned back into the snow and stretched out, willing sleep to come again and teach him. The following dream made him very glad he was not at the tower for this, he was sure he screamed at times, screamed at them to stop and cried for his planet, when Primus was poisoned by Megatron. He watched his people die by the millions, he watched the All Spark be jettisoned from Cybertron to save it from Dark Energon; the great Exodus. He watched his people abandon his planet as it died, no longer able to sustain them.

They killed their home and still they fought; spilling energon for a war that had long lost its purpose. Decepticons killing for Megatron and Autobots just fighting to survive or face extinction. The realization pieced his spark, the Autobots were losing or had already lost; the war was fought with a bare handful of survivors over the scrapes they need to keep on fighting. Tony on-lined his optics and stared up into the stars and there was nothing he could do to help them.

_'In time, child. In time.'_

The voices that made him spoke quietly, softly, promising. Want was he supposed to do now? Go back to the Avengers and pretend he had seen nothing? He felt old now, filled with knowledge that he no longer wanted. His mind turned back to the young humans, fighting their own little wars, killing each other and their home. No! He clenched his fist; that would not happen here! He wouldn't let it! He would fix this, even if it took a hundred years, he would learn from his people and teach the humans to understand. His arc rector technology was a start, then he would do the best he could; clean energy would make all the difference in the world. He would need to revolutionize the economy; make oil obsolete, which in turn would help the atmosphere. That still left the oceans and forests, the lungs of the world. There was still the problem of people, slow to change their ideals or ways. China and Japan would be a fight he knew that now, if he revealed himself as an alien they might be more inclined to listen or turn a deaf ear altogether, curse him for being alien.

He sat up and sighed, rubbing the corners of his optics, clean energy would be a good start, and hopefully he could solve the food problem, which in turn would help to save the forests. Then there was the issue of the mutants. He shuddered; it was so alike to the war; two different peoples just trying to fit into a crowed world.

They need to have a place to call home, independent of the human government and populous. There needed to be some way for people to understand that they all were the same.

_'We all are the universe. We believe that the universe is sentient and is trying to understand itself, so it spit itself up and we are the universe trying to understand itself it made us to learn to analysis, to understand.'_

The voice faded again and Tony smiled; that was true, he could believe that.

_'From the stars we came, to the stars we return.'_

Tony chuckled; yes, we are all star dust. He stood slowly and gazed at the sun peaking over the horizon.

With a sigh he leaped up into the air and flew to his tower, with a little more direction in his spark.

**Review pretty please. Its hard to stay motivated without them. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I posted a poll on my profial page for a Cybertronian name for Tony. Pm if you have an idea and I will add it to the poll. Please review.**

Tony leaned back in his chair and stared at the latest design for a large scale arc reactor. The problem lay in the Palladium, a rare and expensive element that would attract attention for all sorts of people. Using Starkatium would be even worse, and with all the powerful people out there, it would be impossible to protect. He tapped a few glyphs into the computer, having long since traded English for Cybertronian with no translation anywhere. If anyone ever hacked his systems, they would see endless Cybertronian and not be able to make heads or tails of any of it. Even Jarivs was written in Cybertronian. It also gave him a gave him a freedom that English didn't. Even speaking the language aloud felt… good. He sighed and rubbed his optics.

"Sir, might I suggest energon and rest."

Tony moved to leave his chair and froze; Energon, he slammed the table. "Primus, I'm a fool. Jarvis run a simulation with Energon as the element to jump start the reactor." he sang in Cybertronian without thinking, all his dreams were in Cybertronian, so it came naturally. Jarvis thankfully understood.

"How much would we need to start the reactor?"

"A liter, Sir; the reactor would be self sufficient after the initial infusion. But would require a new infusion if it was ever shut down."

"But the reactor would use up the energon leaving no trace for anyone to steal or try to reproduce."

"Correct Sir," Jarvis said in flawless Cybertronian smooth and even.

Tony felt a twinge of pride. This would work. Now he just needed to find a way to implement it.

"Sir, rest; I will inform Mrs. Potts of this latest development, and she can look for potential places to station an arc reactor." Jarvis switched back to English, to remind Tony to do the same.

"Alright, Jarvis."

He pulled himself from his chair and grabbed a bottle of energon from his private fridge, then made his way to the living room.

"So the robot decides to emerge from its den."

"Very funny bird brain." Tony dropped his aft on the floor and leaned back against the couch. "I just worked out how to start my Arc Reactors without the Palladium core." He took a long drink of energon, now noticing how tired he felt.

"Well you have been down there of three days, I'd be surprised if you didn't come up with something." said Bruce.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Bruce."

_"In other news, there have been eight attacks on whaling vessels in the North Pacific in the last four days. There have been no casualties, but also no idea of the cause of the attacks. All the vessels were sunk mere minutes after the initial attack and the survivors say that the only sign that they could see was blue laser blasts coming from the sky. The ships have been studied and salvaged, and one hole from this weapon blasted clear through the ship's hull, but several were fired. It is believed that whoever is responsible for these attacks has strong feelings on the subject. Japan has made no comment."_

The eyes of the Avengers fell on Tony as he tried to look innocent sipping his energon.

"Those holes won't match the damage of your Path Blaster would they?" asked Bruce.

"Why Bruce, I have no idea what you are getting at, but I'm off to bed. Night," Tony leaped up from his spot and swiftly felt the room. Missing a few approving glances, though Natasha thought she would have to teach him how to leave a room gracefully.

Tony flopped down on his bed and smirked. At least his actions had hit the news and were raising awareness. Seeing as whaling is illegal, the whalers would have to be very careful. He would keep up with his patrols, but it was nice to see that this was getting human attention.

There was a soft tapping at his door and Natasha slipped in.

"You know that no one is mad at you. It's nice to see someone doing something about it."

"I don't think many people would think that Tony Stark would behind It." said Tony.

"I guess that was the point?"

"No," he growled, "the point was it needed doing and I could help."

"Why the sudden change in interests, Tony?" Natasha perched on the end of his bed.

Tony rolled over and sat up, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them. "I get dreams." he started quietly.

Nat found it interesting how timid he had become all of a sudden, "What about? She asked gently.

"Cybertron; mostly history. Nat," he made optic to eye contact. "I've watched Cybertron die, because of its people. A stupid war that is still driving my people to extinction." he stopped and looked down. "I look at humans and earth and I see it happen here, how easily we could lose everything; all because people refuse to learn, to change their ideals. Don't you see?" he gazed up to her again. "We are killing our planet."

Nat moved to sit beside him and traced and audio receptor. "You're just trying to help and using your new found form to do what other people can't."

"Exactly."

"Why don't you come back Tony, no one will judge and Bruce is teaching Thor and Steve about the problem."

"No thanks, Nat. I really am tired."

She smiled, "Creating a working arc reactor and sneaking out to blow ships up. Must be exhausting."  
Tony smirked and lay back down. "Goodnight, Nat."

"Goodnight, Tony." she gently shut the door behind her.

Tony smiled; he didn't have to sneak out to blow up ships anymore. Though he did need a way to make sure no harmful spills occurred when he did.  
That night he dreamed of Space Bridges.  
-

If anyone noticed a change in Tony Stark, they would have to be looking for it. On the outside he remained, but if they paid attention to what he was doing, they would be completely thrown. He spent the same amount of time in his lab, but was much more focused. They would have seen him buy into almost every kind of company out there from cars to bio-labs; nothing slid past him anymore. He spent large amounts of time with Pepper Pots organizing this all and offering ideas. Stark Technology became Stark Industries, with Tony Stark's metal fingers on everything.

Over the next few months, Tony worked out how to improve crop yields and perfect fish farming, and then spent millions of dollars industrializing the cities in the Amazon and providing work, which in turn ended the clear cut logging of the Amazon Forests. For every one thing he did to improve human living, he did two for the environment'; sometimes somewhat underhandedly.

Most importantly, it was what they didn't see and no one outside of the Avengers; Miss Pots or people he had to speak with had seen him. His deeds where often on the news but not he himself; as it had been for the last six months.

Tony was still at his work desk, playing with plans to control the worlds food consumption or as was his goal. Remove the need for America to import meat, he already had some hand in that but was concerned about a potential relapse. He shuttered his optics and relayed Ratchet's latest lesson in him mind. He slammed the table causing it to jump. Ratchet was an ingenious medic, 'Never underestimate ingenuity' he would say. Well how was he supposed to sort this out? Having only bits and piece of the medic's memories; he couldn't just ask for advice. He sighed exasperated.

"Sir, Mrs. Romanhoff asked me to remind you that the X-Men are coming in half an hour."

Tony groaned and leaned against his desk, head in his hands. "Why?" he muttered, knowing very well as to why.

"Mr. Rogers felt that the two teams getting to know each other strengths and weakness would be a good use of time before being put together in a combat situation." The AI said cheekily.

Tony glared and stood up, switching on his pretender tech and shuddering. Missing his wings felt so strange, not to mention the loss of height.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Yes Jarvis, it just feels strange." he rolled his shoulders and swung his arms over his head stretching and rolling onto the balls of his feet.

Tony made his way upstairs to find the rest of the Avengers watching TV or entertaining themselves as they usually do. Bruce with his Stark Pad or Steve with is sketch book; he took his usual place on the floor without thinking.

Natasha looked down at him but said nothing, her lips quirked. It was just a little funny to see him acting as his usual self, even wearing the pretender tec.

The elevator rang half an hour into Tony's happy brain relaxation, and the X-Men filled into the area. Tony stiffened at the sight of the two telepaths but said nothing allowing Rogers to take charge of introductions.

Professor X Charles Xavier, Jean Gray, Cyclops Scott Summers, Beast Henry McCoy Wolverine or Logan, Kitty Pride Shadowcat, Nightcrawler Kurt Wagner and Storm or Ororo, the core team of the X-men merged and mingled. Tony removed himself from the floor and picked a chair off in the corner away from the new comers, warily watching Charles and Jean silently. Clint returned from the kitchen and passed beers around to those who wanted them. Natasha walked over and sat by him.

"You know you're being anti-social."

"Everyone is fine with me here."

"I think your scaring Kitty; she's probably thinking that you're nothing like what the tabloids say."

"Good."

Natasha sighed and lead the large party to the gym, Tony silently brought up the rear; not one to show his back to strangers anymore.

The two teams started up a fight in the centre of the large gym, showing skills and trading techniques. Tony caught Charles staring at him with a concerned expression on his face.

Logan pinned Steve to the floor his claws extended hovering an inch above Steve's nose. He got up and offered Steve his hand.

"Not bad, Soldier Boy." as he pulled Steve to is feet.

Clint bounced on the slid lines. "Okay Tony, your turn. I'd like to see you against Bruce or Logan!"

Tony shot him an icy glare. "I'd rather not."

Charles spook up before things could escalate. "Come now Mr. Stark, my team is trustworthy. Nothing they see here will leave his building."

Scott opened it mouth to argue or demand what was going on, but Charles flicked his eyes to him and he shut his mouth again.

Tony surveyed the two teams before slowly walking over to the centre of the training mat and turning off his pretender tech. A deep rumbling groan escaping his voice box as he gained about three feet in height and long broad red and gold wings slid smoothly from his back. He stretched in all his Seeker glory for a moment arms spread wide.

"That's better." he purred rolling his head back and forth stretching the cables.

"Wow." said Kitty "It that some kinda new suit?"

Tony looked down at her metal features twisted into a smile. "No." he said empathizing his word show just a little teeth and glossa. "This is me, without any tech to hide behind."

"Wow." she said again eyes wide. "What are you?"

He chuckled. "I am an autonomous robot from the planet Cybertron. I am allied with the Autobots, and you may address me as such."

"An Autobot?" she raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes."

"Robot?" Scott asked.

"It is a loose term; this body is not organic, but made of living metal. Call me a machine though, and I will rip you to shreds." he seethed; being called a machine on Cybertron was a degrading insult.

"What are you kind called?" Charles said "Not a faction; a people."

"Cybertronians; a common interstellar slang is Transformer."

"Why?" asked Hank.

Tony took a step away from them and transformed hovering, before reverting back to robot mode landing with a thud.

"Oh."

"Transformation is a gift all Cybertronians have." He placed a servo over his spark chamber. "I am a Seeker; there are also Combiners, grounders, mini cons, tri to six shifters and insecticons."

"Seeker?" Hank prompted.

"A Cybertronian with a flight based alt mode."

"Do you have any weapons? What do you run on? How is your body animated?" The scientist within Hank taking over.

Tony transformed his servos into his Path Blasters (Which the Ancients provided him with after he got used to the Proton Blasters, cause really Proton Blasters suck.) and then back to servos before switching to energon blades. "I run on energon which I keep in my lab and," he passed and transformed his servos back and pressed the seams on his chest encouraging the plates to part. "This is my Spark." He allowed the teams to see his life force for a bereft moment before sliding the plates back into place.

"Your heart," Hank supplied for the rest.

"Yes."

"A lot of protection; I think there was at least one other layer after you moved your plates."

"Yes, my Spark chamber. I don't think I can open that. Medics can, but I am not familiar with the commands like a medic."

"Can I run some tests at some point?" Hank asked hopefully.

"No." Tony shook his head. "I'm being very careful with my biology. The less information out there the happier I am."

"Very logical," Hank said with a hand on his chin.

"Logan?" Tony asked falling into a ready position.

"Sure Bub; claws?"

"I don't see why not." Tony transformed his right servo into his own long blade.

"Cool trick that," Said Clint taking a seat to watch the show.

The two stared each other down, Tony had speed and strength, while Logan experience and an understanding of his limits. Logan unsheathed his claws, not even a third the length of Tony's blade.  
Tony's optics flicked to the shining metal coming from Logans knuckles, a plan starting to form in his mind. He need to keep Logan at a distance, and stay way from those claws.

Logan must have sensed Tony's hesitation and moved first, rushing in sweeping his right claws in from the side. Tony jumped back and crouched sidestepping to the left, it was only now occurring to him that he had never fought with a sword and he only had bits and piece from Ratchet to work from and that now was not the time to go rummaging through his memories for support.

"Something wrong bub?" Logan prowled in on him again.

Tony narrowed his optics and rolled the shoulder of his blade arm a little, trying to get a feel for his weapon. When Ratchet fought it was all about precision, but them his blades were much shorter.

Logan was approaching the situation with a measure of caution; he didn't know what Tony could do, and from the look on Tony's face, neither did he. Deciding to keep things simple for the newbie he slashed for the seeker's head and had his shoulder jarred as Tony's blade blocked him with as screech as adamantium met Cybertronian metal.

Tony could feel everyone's eyes on his blade and stared down into Logan's eyes. It occurred to him that this only made sense as he could go to space without protection. With a smirk he flicked his arm down pushing Logan's blades to the floor before swing up trying to use the length of his own.

Logan stepped back from the clumsy swing and brought his blades back into a ready position.

"Noob," he taunted.

Tony let loose a deep rumbling growl but did not deny it; then slowly moved followed getting Logan back within range. He raised his arm up, crouching down; pulling his elbow back and sword level with his head. He was telegraphing his moves but he didn't care.

Logan analyzed the Cybertronian in front of him and decided to see what he could do.

Tony growled and leaped in the there air baring his blade down to Logan. Who leaped to the side, grinning. Tony transformed his other servo and swept the new blade sideways at the mutant. It clashed with his claws; Tony disengaged and spun to the left long blades scrapping against the adamantium weapons. His strength and speed slowing becoming uncorked as he danced in faster stabbing forward with one blade, sweeping in with the next.

Logan took each blow but did not retaliate, instead getting a measure for the Cybertronian. His foot work need work and he was unfocused.

Tony brought his left blade down for Logans head and he countered bring his claws up in an X to stop him. Tony bared down on him and Logan felt himself sink to one knee. Strong and fast, but with little direction he thought. Tony transformed his right blade back into a servo and punched Logan's side sending him flying across the mat.

'Okay no more mister nice guy.' Logan thought gently touching his new bruise.

He lunged forward claws forward and he crashed into Tony, who's mask finally fold into place. Tony fell back but grabbed Logan's head and flung him away. He stumbled back to his feet blades unsheathed. They clashed and it was clear that Logan was wearing Tony down slowly moving into more advantaged forms and scoring more and more hits. During there last lock, Logan kicked out one of Tony's knees sending him to the ground before sheathing one of his claws and punching his helm.

The Cybertronian went down and Logan pressed his claws to Tony's neck.

"Enough." he growled.

Tony pushed himself up and little and looked over his shoulder at Logan and retracted his mask, then nodded. An idea practically punched him in the gut. "Teach me."

Shock passed though Logan's face, before he recovered. "Why?"

"You're better than me. I've never learned any sword play. You could stay here for a bit. I have an idea for a teleportation system. Our team would only be minutes away."

Logan gazed down at the young Cybertronian, with all his years he could see... something else behind those optics.

"Fine." he growled "Just because your technique is so appalling."

Tony grinned. "Let me up now?"

Logan stepped away sheathing his claws and Tony pulled himself to his feet taking a minute to survey the numerous scratches that marked his frame.

"These are going to take forever to buff out." he whined.

"Get used to it, Hotrod. I'll get us some training swords."

Tony opened his mouth, then wisely thought the better of it and shut it again and followed Logan of the mat, nursing his knee just a bit.

"Shall I go get your repair kit?" Bruce asked smugly.

"If you would be so kind," Tony said carefully lowering himself to the floor, leaning back against a bench and pulling his knee closer. This finger dipping under the protective plates and click the plates away. Tweaking the wires and pulling them back into place.

Logan watched Tony move wires back into place. "I didn't do anything serious?"

"It would be the human equivalent to bruising your knee cap. I just have to reline some wires and solder a few together, and they will heal back to normal."

Bruce returned and watched Tony swiftly put his knee back together. "When did you learn how to do that?"

"A few nights ago, lately my lessons have been from Ratchet's memories."

"Not history?"

"No, I've enough of that to last me for the next million years." Tony poked two broken wire ends back in place and soldered them together; then started to replace his armour.

"Memories?" Logan enquired as the rest of the teams went back to sparing.

"I've been getting the history of Cybertron in my sleep, but lately I've been getting lessons from Ratchet on how to do repairs. I guess the Ancients thought I would need them. I need to stay off the knee and let it heal so I don't breach the soldering."

Bruce was analyzing his face.

"What?"

"Nothing; rest the leg then. How long will it take to heal?" Bruce asked.

"Not more than a day, it will be walk-able by dinner."

"Can I have a scan after? I want to compare the remolding to human healing."

"Knock yourself out, just remember my rule."

"Sure thing, Tony."

"Rule?" Logan asked.

"Only hard copy notes." Bruce supplied "Tony doesn't what to risk anyone hacking his systems. Though I don't see how that would even be possible seeing as there are all written in Cybertronian now."

"Can't you read it?"

Bruce chuckled. "No, I've been learning here and there but it's very complex and I can't speak a word of it."

"Why?"

Tony piped in Cybertronian. _"Because human vocal chords can't make the right sounds."_ He chirped and sung, in a metal voice.

"Oh."

Bruce headed back over to the mat. Tony smiled and looked over to Scott and Clint going a few rounds.

"Who do you think will win?" he asked the mater swordsman.

"Bird Brain," Logan sat down beside him.

"Hmm, out of curiosity how old are you?"

"I was born in the late 1880's bub. Why do you ask?"

"I haven't told Bruce yet, but I'm not ageing, I will stay as I am till something kills me." Tony looked down at his servos.

Logan clasped his shoulder. "Don't dwell on it, it only makes it worse." Addressing what Tony left unsaid. "Look at it like this. There is nothing you can do, but if you get tired of it. I'm sure we can get along together and step away."

Tony was mildly surprised by Logan's easy acceptance, but then the guy probably had a good idea of what was going on in his head. He smiled just a little. "Thank you, I will remember that."

The two watched Natasha and Clint beat Scott and Orono into a pulp.

"I think everyone is going to get more hand to hand training." Tony said.

"Yup," Logan said taking a swing of his beer.

**Please review, I hope you guys like Logan. I felt that he would fit in well. Idea and suggestions are always great. Remember this dies without you!**


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